Liverpool star Joe Cole is predicting a “cracking fight” between his mate Kevin Mitchell and John Murray at the Liverpool Echo Arena on Saturday 16th July, live on Sky Sports 1HD.
The former West Ham player is a big boxing fan and was ringside last year at Upton Park supporting Mitchell in his world title challenge against Michael Katsidis.
With the switch of date for the Mitchell-Murray bout, Cole will miss the big Battle of Britain showdown because he will be on a pre-season tour in Singapore with his Liverpool team mates, but he will be keeping a close eye on the internet for the result.
“It’s a big fight for Kevin and he’s going to have to dig deep in this one against John, who’s a good tough fighter,” said Cole.
“Both guys are real warriors and the top boys in Britain, it’s been waiting to happen for a while now, I reckon it will turn out to be a really cracking fight,”
“Of course, I’m mates with Kevin so I’m siding with him. I was at Upton Park last year supporting him in his world title fight against Katsidis which didn’t work out for him, but he can be a clever boxer, as we saw against Breidis Prescott, and he could be too mobile and fast for John.
He added, “It’s a shame that I’m going to miss the fight, though, because the team are touring Singapore, but I’ll be keeping a look out on the internet for the result and I’ll have it recorded on my Sky box for when I get back.”
Mitchell-Murray features on a huge blockbuster card that is headlined by Ricky Burns’ WBO World Super-Featherweight title defence against Nicky Cook; Tony Bellew’s Commonwealth Light-Heavyweight title defence and challenge for the vacant British title against Ovill McKenzie; Frankie Gavin’s WBO Intercontinental Welterweight title defence against Curtis Woodhouse, plus a massive undercard.
Tickets, priced at £50, £80 and £100, are available on 0844 8000 400 or www.echoarena.com
Usarov vs. Acevedo on Bute-Mendy undercard this Saturday
This Saturday night, on the undercard of the International Boxing Federation (IBF) Super Middleweight World Championship between Lucian Bute (28-0, 23KO’s) and IBF #1 contender, Jean-Paul Mendy (29-0-1, 16KO’s), WBO European Bantamweight Champion, Sahib Usarov (15-0, 6KO’s) will make his Star Boxing debut when he takes on hard-hitting Sergio Gomez Acevedo (16-8, 12KO’s) in an eight round super bantamweight match-up. The bout is promoted by EuroPlus Computers S.R.L. and Interbox in association with Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing.
The southpaw Usarov, picked up the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) European belt with a twelve round shut-out over Alexander Fedorov in October of 2009. Since then he has fought just twice, including a win over previously undefeated Ilhom Rahimov. Looking to be more active, and begin making a name for himself on the world scene, Usarov signed with Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing earlier this spring. The bout on Saturday night will only be Usarov’s second outside of Russia.
“Sahib is a very exciting fighter, and we think he can immediately become a major player in his division,” stated Joe DeGuardia, CEO of Star Boxing. “This is a great opportunity for him to be able to fight on a card of this magnitude, before a sold out crowd. We expect Sahib to win and win impressively, and are looking forward to bringing him over state-side sometime in the very near future.”
Usarov vs. Acevedo is scheduled for eight rounds in the super bantamweight division. In the main event Lucian Bute (28-0, 23KO’s) defends his IBF Super Middleweight Championship against IBF #1 contender Jean-Paul Mendy (29-0-1, 16KO’s). Both bouts are promoted by EuroPlus Computers S.R.L. and Interbox in association with Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing.
Theophane vs. Cook on Fury-Chisora undercard on 7/23
London (July 7, 2011) – Trans-Atlantic boxer Ashley “Treasure” Theophane defends his British light welterweight title July 23 in the 12-round co-feature against Welsh champion Jason “The Power” Cook on “The Big Brawl” Event, live from Wembley Arena.
“The Big Brawl” features undefeated Tyson Fury (14-0, 10 KOs) challenging British and Commonwealth heavyweight Champion Dereck “Del Boy” Chisora (14-0, 9 KOs) in the 12 round main event.
“The Big Brawl,” presented by Hennessy Sports, will be shown live and exclusively in the UK on Channel 5.
Preparing for fights the past six years, Theophane (29-4-1, 7 KOs) has successfully split training camps between his hometown, London, and adopted home, New York City. “As a kid,” he explained, “I watched (Mike) Tyson and (Marvin) Hagler and wanted to come to America to train and fight. For my 11th fight I came to Gleason’s Gym (in NYC) to see if I was good enough. I held my own and gained confidence sparring Pauli Malignaggi, Chris Smith and Elio Rojas. I’ve keep coming back to New York City and also gained good experience working with (Yuri) Foreman and Dmitriy) Salita. I only sparred with Paulie once, but I watched him go on to big fights against (Ricky) Hatton and (Amir) Khan. I would like to get to fight big names like that.
“I’d love to fight the winner of Khan-(Zab) Judah. For now, though, I want to make three quick defences of my title belt to keep my belt. Then, maybe, the European title and on to what I’ve always wanted, the world title.”
Theopane, rated No. 14 by the International Boxing Federation, captured the British light welterweight championship in his last fight, taking a unanimous 12-round decision against Lenny Daws this past February in London. Ashley’s most significant victories to date have been versus Delvin Rodriguez (DEC10) and former world champion DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley (DEC8).
The majority of Theophane’s pro fights have been as a welterweight, despite the 5’ 7” Ashley being a natural light welterweight. “I’ve always been a light welterweight but couldn’t get good opportunities at 140 pounds,” Ashley commented. “My biggest fight opportunities came at 147 and I took them. I make 140 pounds fine with a little more preparation and watching what I eat. I still feel good and put on 10-12 pounds hydrating after the weigh in. I feel strong at light welterweight. They (140 pounders) are a bit quicker but the majority are my size, averaging 5’ 8, not six footers.”
The 5’ 9” Cook (28-3-1, 14 KOs), a former International Boxing Organization and European lightweight champion, has lost only three times in 32 pro fights, the last in 2009 to former World Boxing Association champion Gavin Rees by three-round decision in the semi-finals of “Prizefighter” tournament.
Theophane has never fought on UK terrestrial tv and welcomes the opportunity to showcase his talents on July 23 to UK fans on Channel 5. “I want to show British fight fans that I’m a force to be reckoned with in the 140-pound division,” Ashley added. “I’m going into this fight to win and win impressively. They’re going to see a fighter who can box or go toe-to-toe if I have to. I have decent speed and a great jab like Hagler, who was one of my idols. He was a serious guy who broke-down boxers much like Miguel Cotto does now. Hagler has been an inspiration for me. He was No. 1 in the world but couldn’t get a world title shot. He finally did but got a draw and had to go to England to win it. He had to do things the hard way and so do I. He inspired me to work extra hard, take opportunities that come along, and make the most of it.”
“We are ecstatic and proud of Ashley for defending his British title as the co-main event of the Chisora-Fury showdown,” Theophane’s manager Mike Michael (Cestus Management) added. “It is one of the biggest domestic heavyweight fights taking place in the United Kingdom in years. This event represents a tremendous opportunity because Ashley’s fight will be televised across the United Kingdom on the Channel 5 TV network and also available on Pay-Per-View in the United States through Integrated Sports Media.
“Ashley is rapidly evolving into a world-class boxer and he’s ready to step-up to fight the best in the world. I would like to thank Mick Hennessy (Hennessy Sports), Channel 5 and Integrated Sports Media for giving us the opportunity to be part of such a historic boxing event.”
Fury vs. Chisora will be shown live on Channel 5 on Saturday 23rd July 2011
For Channel 5 information, please contact Lesley Land at the Channel 5 Press Office on 0207 436 3633 or lesley.land@outside-org.co.uk
Sports fans in North America will also be able to watch the “The Big Brawl,” as the event will be distributed in the United States by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 3 PM/ET – 12 PM/PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DIRECTV, and Avail-TVN, for a suggested retail price of only $24.95 and in Canada on the Super Channel network.
Tickets are on sale for the “Big Brawl” from the Wembley Arena 24hr box office.
Wembley Arena, 24hr Box Office, 0844 815 0815, www.wembleyarena.co.uk
Prices:
*Ringside Gold Seating £350.00
**Ringside Silver Seating £300.00
**Ringside Bronze Seating £250.00
Outer Ringside Seating £150.00
Premium Tiered Seating £50.00
Tiered Seating £40.00
**Upgrade Ticket £45.00
**Please note. All Gold, Silver and Bronze ringside seats and upgrade ticket purchased have exclusive access to the restaurant bar and includes an all inclusive drinks package. Included in the drinks package are House wine, bottled and draught beer and soft drinks. The bar will be open from 5.30pm – 11.30pm.